Your Spirit and My Voice
by amethyst4096
Summary: Christine Daae is a typical high school student with a passion for singing. She dreams of starring in her school musical, and a mysterious voice coaching her from the wings of the stage helps her talent grow. But is this voice the angel that she believes him to be, or will he cause her to lose everything? And with a new love interest, Christine has a lot to lose.


**Chapter 1**

"Okay, let's take a look at the soprano solo at bar 21. Charlotte, could you take that, please?" My chorus teacher asked.

I had to restrain myself from covering my ears as Charlotte practically screeched the high C. I knew I could hit the notes better than she could, so why did my teacher give her every solo?

When the bell went off I left the chorus room, still fuming about Charlotte getting yet another solo, and went to lunch, looking forward to venting to my best friend about this.

"Hey, Christine," Meg greeted me as I sat down, "How was chorus?"

"Stupid," I replied, "Charlotte got _another _solo. My ears were practically bleeding listening to her butcher the song."

"Ugh, that sucks! You totally should've gotten it. You know you're so much better than her!" Meg continued to bash Charlotte for several minutes.

I felt much better after talking to Meg. She had been my best friend since we were in preschool, and, since my father had died three years ago, I had lived with her and her mother. I don't know where I would have gone if they hadn't taken me in, and Mrs. Giry has treated me like her daughter.

Also, Meg was pretty much the only friend I had. I used to be close with some of the other girls from our dance class but, after my dad died freshman year, I kind of lost touch with everyone. I never returned any calls or accepted any invitations, and eventually they just stopped trying to talk to me.

I kind of lost touch with everything when my dad died. Freshman year was the hardest time of my life. Dad had been sick for awhile, and I guess it shouldn't have come as such a shock. But it did. The first few weeks were surreal; it felt like I was dreaming. It wasn't until about a month after he died that it even sunk in that he was gone. The rest of the year was a blur of tears and emptiness. Mrs. Giry tried several therapists, but it was all to no avail. I was practically unresponsive for almost an entire year.

It took me many months, but I eventually realized that I was not living the life my father would have wanted for me. He never lost his love for life, even when he was really sick at the end, and he would want me to do the same. So, I started forcing myself to actually leave my bed in the morning. I finally returned to school, where seemingly endless piles of make-up work awaited me. I faked a smile every day, no matter how hollow I felt. And, after a while, I didn't have to fake it anymore. I was ready to face life without my father, though I knew that he would always be watching over me, as corny as that sounds.

Three years later, I was doing pretty well. There was still a lingering sadness, but it was manageable. Getting through every day didn't seem like a marathon. Of course, none of that would have been true if it weren't for the Girys. Meg and her mom had been there through everything, and they had helped me more than they will ever know.

"Earth to Christine!" Meg waved her hand in front of my face, yanking me from my reverie.

"What's up?" I asked.

"So, I saw flyers for the school's production of _West Side Story_, your favorite musical. Auditions are next month, and I think you know what I'm thinking."

"Yeah, we can do dance crew together! That was fun last year."

"Not even close. You should try out, like, for a real part. You would be _perfect _as Maria!"

"I don't think my singing's good eno—"

"Are you kidding?" Meg interrupted, "I've heard you singing in your room when you don't think anyone else is home. Your voice is gorgeous!"

"Thanks," I replied awkwardly, "But I'm not loud enough, and you know that Charlotte always gets the lead."

"She only gets the lead because everyone else who tries out is tone deaf. If you worked on being louder, you would be a million times better than her."

I sighed. Meg wasn't going to give this up. I appreciated her support, but I didn't think I was ready to sing in front of people just yet. I had never even taken lessons before. Mrs. Giry would probably find me a singing teacher if I asked, but she had already done so much for me. Her dance studio was successful, but money was still tight. I wasn't willing to ask her to do that for me.

"I'll think about it," I told Meg reluctantly.

She squealed, and started giggling about what Charlotte would do if I took the lead role away from her. As I pretended to listen to Meg's excited chatter, I began to daydream. I imagined myself center stage, belting out a love song. Honestly, it seemed like the most exciting thing in the world. But I didn't have the training Charlotte had, or the experience.

For the rest of the school day, I was completely distracted. I knew that I loved to sing; chorus was my favorite part of the day. However, I had never thought that it would be anything more than a fantasy. But maybe it didn't have to be! Maybe if I practiced, I _could _be better than Charlotte. Maybe Meg was right.

As usual, Meg was waiting at my locker at the end of the day. We both had our own cars, but she always waited for me so we could walk out to the parking lot together.

"Ready to go?" She asked impatiently.

"Actually, um, I have to, um, work on a research paper at the library," I stammered, "I'll see you at home?'

Meg said goodbye and walked away. I sighed in relief. God, I was a horrible liar. I couldn't believe she hadn't suspected anything.

I practically sprinted down to the music hallway. Making sure no one was behind me, I opened the door to the auditorium and hesitantly turned on the lights. As I had suspected, it was completely empty.

I jumped onto the stage and opened the curtains, looking down at the hundreds of seats below me. I wondered how it would feel if there were people in those seats, all staring up at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and quietly began.

"I feel pretty. Oh so pretty. I feel pretty and witty and bright!" I practically whispered.

I stopped for a second. If I was this nervous when there was nobody watching me, how could I ever sing in front of a real audience? I took another deep breath and tried again.

As I continued the song, my nerves slowly dissipated. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I hit all of the high notes easily. By the end of the song, I was giggling and twirling around the stage.

"For I'm loved by a pretty wonderful boy!" I finished, holding the last note out for as long as I could, marveling at the sound of my voice.

My heart stopped when I heard a voice come from the wings of the stage.

"That was impressive," It said, "But I think that you could do even better."


End file.
